The Creative Destruction of Manhattan, 1900-1940 (Historical Studies of Urban America)

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From Kirkus Reviews
A sober, humane explanation of how and why New York City became a place of continuous rebuilding. Neither lamenting the end of Old New York or positing one big bad root cause, historian Page (History/Georgia State Univ., Yale) instead explores ``the cultural meanings attached to the fundamental process of urbanization'' that he calls ``creative destruction''a process that established itself during the first third of the century. In character- and narrative-driven chapters, he highlights several elements of city planningslum clearance, tree planting and removal, and historical preservationand illustrates how they were tools for the powerful to define the city. Real estate developers were central in developing Fifth Avenue as the valuable ``spine of Gotham''; reformers like Jacob Riis fought for the wholesale removal of the ``leprous'' slums of the Lower East Side; the elites battled to preserve the structures they felt defined the true city amidst unprecedented change. Page reiterates throughout that even when government officials and social reformers clashed, they shared the same goal: ``To protect and perpetuate the best buildings and architectural values of the past.'' Concluding the survey are two chapters on how collective memory is attempted in art. Among the varied views are collector I.N. Phelps Stokes's massive but lifeless set of illustrations, The Iconography of Manhattan Island; Virginia Lee Burton's 1942 paean to threatened pastoral life, The Little House; and photography of the early 20th century (by Strand, Abbott, and others), which redefined New York in terms of movement rather than permanence. Readers wondering how the city can be captured in a single Stieglitz photo or why East Side tenement demolition faced widespread criticism will find answers as part of the larger truth of how capitalism, culture, and art shape collective memory. For real or armchair New Yorkers, the whole package is a treat.

Book Description
"It'll be a great place if they ever finish it," O. Henry wrote about New York City. This laconic remark captures the relentlessly transitory character of New York, and it points toward Max Page's synthetic perspective. Against the prevailing motif of a naturally expanding metropolis, Page argues that the early-twentieth-century city was dominated by the politics of destruction and rebuilding that became the hallmark of modern urbanism. The oxymoron "creative destruction" suggests the tensions...

Customer Reviews
Urban legend, July 16, 2000
Reviewer: D. Abraham Silver "dasilver" (Providence, RI United States)
Dr. Page has created a dynamic, readable exploration of the history of design and construction in what is arguably the modern world's greatest city. His vivid descriptions and insightful analyses are complemented by a treasury of remarkable photographs and other illustrations. This extremely readable, intelligent book is an indispensible resource for anyone who claims to truly know the Big Apple.

For ALL of us living in fast-changing places, April 1, 2000
Reviewer: A reader
I took two stories from Creative Destruction.

As a native New Yorker, I found this book a wonderful and thorough analysis of major and minor events that changed New York. These events are not simplified; Max Page tells a story that includes the conflicts and interdependency of commerce, preservation, and progress.

As a San Franciscan watching my newly-adopted city go through dramatic changes, I am given guidance and insight into the effects of such turbulence. Max Page helps me identify shortsighted actions as well as deal with inevitability. At the very least, I am more aware; at best, I am a better citizen.

For ALL of us living in urban areas going through fast changes, Creative Destruction is great reading.

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